The idea for the book came last year after students in Nia Mya’s first-grade class were assigned to write about something in which they were an expert. Nia Mya thought about the joys and woes that come with being a big sister. After reading the assignment, Reese’s mother, Cherinita Reese, encouraged her daughter to continue working on her story beyond the classroom.

“Work on your sentences,” Cherinita Reese said during an interview with CBS Evening News. “Work on the spelling, work on the way that it’s worded. And that will be your summer project.”

The book includes lessons of love, patience and care, based upon Nia Mya’s experiences while dealing with her little brother. According to AL.com, Nia Mya’s cousin, Faith Martin, was enlisted to sketch the illustrations. The book was published by Yorkshire Publishing on Nov. 30, 2016.

Since then, Nia Mya’s days have been filled with interviews, book signings and enjoying the success of her first project.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Cherinita Reese told AL.com. “I think the best way to explain it is, you know, you’re supposed to be walking on this path, and then it happens.”

Maya Jones is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a native New Orleanian who enjoys long walks down Frenchmen Street and romantic dates to Saints games.